10 Things in Washington, D.C., to Avoid

The National Mall hosts 11 Smithsonian museums, the two wings of the National Gallery of Art, plus all of the major memorials and monuments. The danger is that you’ll spend all of your time here because you certainly could and never get bored. But to experience the true D.C.—the D.C. that locals love—you need to get out into the neighborhoods. Go to the theater, catch a concert, eat at a newly Michelin-starred restaurant, go shopping at local boutiques, and go kayaking on the Potomac. And remember that there are other museums as well, including the International Spy Museum, Phillips Collection, National Building Museum, President Lincoln’s Cottage, and the newish Planet Word … whew! Clearly, no matter how many days you have to spend here, it’s not enough.

D.C.’s booming dining scene makes it a destination unto itself, and with everything from fancy Michelin-starred restaurants to wonderful holes-in-the-wall, why would you go to a tourist trap? Fourteenth Street, Navy Yard, and Eighth Street on Capitol Hill are filled with fun, innovative eateries, or dare to venture into the lesser-known neighborhoods where some interesting things are going on—Thip Khao on 14^th Street NW, featuring Lao cuisine and Italian-inspired Red Hen in Brookland are cases in point. There’s also Union Market in NoMa, with its fun-to-browse food stalls, the full-service Bidwell Restaurant, and the nearby Cosecha market featuring Latin American fare. Even the museums have some skin in the game, notably Sweet Home Café at the National Museum of African American History and Culture and Mitsitam Native Foods Café at the National Museum of the American Indian.

D.C. traffic is notoriously bad, and parking is expensive (and parking tickets are even more expensive). Really, with the Metro system reaching most corners of the city (and now Washington Dulles International Airport), there’s no need to drive. You’ll need to buy a plastic SmarTrip card or use the SmarTrip app on your cell phone. Use the card or show the app to both enter and exit the stations. And when riding the escalators, remember to stand on the right and walk on the left; if you don’t abide by this unspoken rule, you will hear Washingtonians muttering unpleasant things under their breath. That said, D.C. is an eminently walkable city—Capitol Hill, the Mall, and Dupont Circle are favorite places to stroll among famous and not-so-famous sites.

It’s a running joke that Washingtonians are afraid to cross the rivers. Don’t be like them. Across the Potomac, you can venture into Arlington and watch the changing of the guards at Arlington National Cemetery, admire the U.S Marine Corps War Memorial (aka “the Iwo Jima”), and explore the bustling neighborhoods of Clarendon and Ballston. Colonial Alexandria awaits just downstream, with riverside dining, tons of one-of-a-kind shops, and historic houses to check out. Alexandria was a hotbed of revolutionary action, remember, and Washington, Jefferson, Hamilton, and Adams all left their imprints there. George Washington’s Mount Vernon sits another 10 miles downstream. Across the Anacostia River, you can visit Frederick Douglass’ Cedar Hill and learn about the famous abolitionist. And south of that is National Harbor, D.C.’s foray into Vegas-style fun with its casino, outlet stores, and glitzy Gaylord Resort.

As dusk sets on the nation’s capital, its famous white-marble monuments glow in the fading light. It will be one of your most memorable moments, guaranteed, to take in the majesty and beauty of the National Mall at night. You can join a guided tour or head out on your own. Don’t worry, the area is perfectly safe, and park rangers are on duty until 10 p.m. Begin at the World War II Memorial, with its fountains aglimmer, and go clockwise, taking in Washington, Martin Luther King, Jefferson, FDR, Korean War Veterans, Lincoln, and Vietnam Veterans.

As we have said, D.C. has a bounty of museums both on and off the Mall, and you could drive yourself bonkers trying to take in everything. You need to have a plan. Even in the larger museums, such as the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum and National Museum of American History, you need to target specific exhibits, or your time will be zapped in one place. Not that there’s anything wrong with that—your time will be well spent. You just won’t see anything else. Assess the interests of your group—U.S. history, art, Native American legacies, natural history, architecture, etc., etc. And remember that whatever you don’t see this time, you’ll just have to catch up on your next trip.

Unless seeing the nation’s fireworks on the Fourth of July is on your bucket list, stay away from D.C. in summer. It’s miserably hot and humid, with thunderstorms on many afternoons. Crowds are out in full force, making sightseeing an anxious-ridden experience of long lines and crowded exhibits. Who needs that? If you can swing it, the best time to visit is in the fall through early November, when the weather is generally moderate, and the crowds have dispersed. Springtime is beautiful, of course, with the fabled cherry blossoms and other flowers blooming like crazy, but it’s not as warm as one might expect, and hordes of school groups have arrived. Pick fall!

If you want to visit the White House, don’t think you can just show up, and they’ll let you in. You need to plan ahead. At least 21 days in advance, you must contact your Congressperson to schedule a tour (and you can request one up to three months out). And if you fail to secure a tour, the next best thing to do is stop by the White House Visitor Center, which has extremely well-curated displays and videos about everything you ever wanted to know about the White House, including past presidents’ favorite snacks; what it takes on moving day to move one president out and the next president in (in a matter of hours); and what kind of place settings have been used to serve any visiting royalty. In fact, even if you get a White House tour, stop by the Visitor Center. It’s that good.

D.C. has changed immensely over the past ten-plus years—and it’s not slowing down. If you haven’t visited in a while, you won’t recognize the Southwest Waterfront neighborhood, including its multi-million-dollar development at the Wharf that includes primo restaurants, music halls, and waterside fun. Neighborhoods where once you would not dare venture—NoMa, Shaw, Columbia Heights, 14^th Street, U Street—are hopping with innovative restaurants, local boutiques, theater, music, and cafés. Now you can try craft distilled whiskey, go SUPing on the Potomac, listen to music in a historic Black Broadway theater, taste the latest foodie craze at a pop-up restaurant, and come to understand that D.C. is no longer a one-trick pony (well, two tricks, if you count politics and its Smithsonian museums) but truly a leading global city.

D.C. may very well be the best city in the world for cultured cheapskates because not only are the Smithsonian museums free, but so are a whole slew of concerts, plays, and exhibits. The Smithsonian American Art Museum routinely showcases world-famous musicians, while free summer concert series are offered at the Capitol Riverfront and the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden, among others. The Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage has free shows every evening at 6, and its REACH Plaza has free outdoor film screenings and live performances in summer. Even the National Zoo (part of the Smithsonian family) is free. Check out Washington.org for upcoming free events.